McDonald’s Corp. is taking customers behind the scenes inside the company’s kitchen via a virtual “open doors” tour, touting its commitment to fresh, quality food.
The QSR launched the Farm to Table tour online Tuesday during its two-day Quality Symposium: Serving a Quality Meal Every Time in Oak Brook, IL.
Vonetta Flowers, a 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist, hosts the Web-based tour at Mcdonalds.com on the Food Quality page, leading visitors through virtual vignettes showing the transition from farm-grown food to the table. For example, consumers can click on McDonald’s French fries to see where potatoes are grown and how they are selected and prepared.
The tour also lets consumers navigate the site for details on breakfast and lunch items, including the Egg McMuffin sandwich, McDonald’s cheeseburger, and select beverages.
“Our virtual doors tour offers our guests the unique opportunity to see first-hand our quality commitment and standards, as well as the fresh wholesome ingredients we use to make some of their McDonald’s favorites,” said Ralph Alvarez, president, McDonald’s North America, in a statement.
About 200 food and beverage suppliers, industry associations and educators attended the Quality Symposium, where McDonald’s executives and the company’s top suppliers discussed best practices for food quality and safety, as well as maintaining consumer trust. The event ended on Tuesday.
In 2006, McDonald’s plans to launch an additional open doors tour with new food selections and favorites.
Online materials support.
At the same time, McD’s has announced that it plans to add nutrition information on product packaging as part of its global commitment to promote a balanced, active lifestyle. The new packaging will make its debut at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy in February, then roll out in the first half of 2006 in restaurants in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Packaging will feature icons and bar charts that consumers are most relevant to understanding nutrition—, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. The move follows consumer input and testing.
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